London NHS transplant surgeon dies from coronavirus 'after working at hospital in Midlands', family say

A London organ transplant surgeon has died from coronavirus days after testing positive, the British Transplantation Society has said.

Adil El Tayar, 63, was admitted to intensive care on March 20 and died on March 25 at West Middlesex University Hospital in Isleworth, west London, his family said.

The doctor, who had been self-isolating since developing symptoms in mid-March, had served in hospitals around the world including Sudan, Saudi Arabia and south London.

His family believe he picked up Covid-19 while working at a hospital in the Midlands - a second hotspot outside the capital - in the days before he fell ill.

His cousin Dr Hisham El Khidir said: "His son was really scared that he wasn't going to make it. This disease is horrible and is going to cause more heartbreak for many more families for weeks to come.

"Adil was someone who was central to our family, who was well-respected by so many people.”

Paying tribute, the British Ambassador to Sudan Irfan Siddiq tweeted: “Saddened to hear of #Sudan-ese doctor Adel Altayar's death in the UK from Covid-19.

“Health workers around the world have shown extraordinary courage. We cannot thank them enough. In this fight we must listen to their advice.”

Dr El Tayar began his career as a transplant surgeon at St George’s Hospital, Tooting, before relocating to Saudi Arabia in 2007 to work at King Fahd General Hospital in Jeddah.

In 2011 he moved back to his native Sudan to set up a transplant scheme and worked at Ibn Sina Hospital in Khartoum.

He then returned to St George’s. Consultant surgeon Abbas Ghazanfar described Dr El Tayar as a "noble human being".

"Mr El Tayar was a very hard working and dedicated surgeon who gave the precious gift of life to so many people around the world by his excellent transplanting skills," he said.

"He was an excellent colleague, a truly humble soul."

Dr El Khidir said his cousin’s death raises questions for the safety of medical staff in Britain's increasingly pressurised NHS hospitals, with more than 6,200 coronavirus patients currently admitted.

"He lived in London, but worked up in the Midlands during the week,” he said. “I asked him where he thought he might have got the virus and he said his week was mainly working, eating a meal in the canteen and then going to his room. He had a very boring routine.

"We feel doctors at the moment really are open to the disease and they need a bit more protection than what is being offered. We doctors feel like sitting ducks.

"When Prince Charles, the prime minister and the health secretary catch the disease it is clear something is going wrong."